It is usual for photographic material to follow a set path along which the material is transported through various processing stages in photographic processing apparatus. The apparatus is arranged so that the material is transported therethrough in one direction only, passing from one processing stage to the next in a pre-arranged sequence. Each processing stage is different, for example, the material is transported through the developer stage, followed by the bleach, fix, and wash stages.
EP-A-0 456 685 describes a photographic processing unit which comprises a plurality of processing stages, the material to be processed being transported through each stage to effect processing. In each of the processing stages, the material is cycled around in a given direction until treatment in that stage has been completed.
On completion of a particular treatment, the material is then switched out of that processing stage and into the next processing stage. However, the processing stages of the unit described in EP-A-0 456 685 follow a pre-arranged sequence, and it is not possible to transport the material back to a processing stage which has already been visited.
JP-A-04/149549 discloses photographic processing apparatus in which the direction of transportation of the material being processed is changed intermittently whilst the material is in a processing tank. This reciprocative movement of the material in the processing solution improves the agitation of the solution and as a result enhances the development process by eliminating irregularities in the processing.
However, it is desired, in accordance with the processing chemistry used, to pass the material through one or more processing stages for a second treatment in order to optimize the results obtained during processing. For example, it may be necessary to rinse the material being processed after each stage, that is, the material sequentially passes through the following stages: developer, rinse, bleach, rinse, fix, rinse and wash.
In current photographic processing apparatus, three separate rinsing stages as well as a wash stage will need to be provided if this sequence of stages is to be followed.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide photographic processing apparatus in which the material can be switched from one processing stage to any other processing stage which precedes that stage.